Rudi Garcia spoke to the media on Friday as Napoli prepare to visit local rivals Salernitana on Saturday afternoon.
The coach began his press conference by reflecting on the 2-2 draw with AC Milan last weekend – the proverbial game of two halves.
“I don't think the first half against AC Milan was all bad. We conceded two goals from the first two chances we let them have, and gave the ball away several times. We had an opportunity to equalise in the first half that could have changed the direction of the game.
“It's always a good sign when you come from behind and get a result. There's a difference between drawing after having a two-goal lead and drawing after coming back from two down. In any case, we can't play that match again. Tomorrow we'll try to pick up from the good second half we had. We have to look forward and put everything into our next game.”
You switched to a 4-2-3-1 formation against Milan. Might you do the same against Salernitana?
“We showed that we can play with that formation. It worked against Milan and we might use it again in future. The most important thing is we don't struggle defensively.
“The lads know we must all weigh in so that we defend and attack with 11 players – that's when a team becomes hard to break down. The key is keeping possession and not giving it away cheaply through individual mistakes.”
When will Victor Osimhen return and when will he be available again?
“The club gave Victor permission to leave and he'll be back with us next week. The club's medical staff will let me know how he is from a clinical perspective. I'm interested in all of my players but above all I'm interested in the technical side when I have them available because that's my main job.”
How is Jesper Lindstrom and when do you think he'll start a game?
"Lindstrom is fine but clearly it's not easy for him to take the place of [Matteo] Politano or [Kvichva] Kvarastskhelia at the moment with the brilliant form they're in. Jesper is improving a lot and like everyone else he has to make the most of the playing time he gets to show what he can do and improve further.”
What difficulties are you expecting in tomorrow's game?
“First of all, I'm going to see Morgan De Sanctis again. He was a pillar of my Roma team, a leader on the field and a good man. I always knew he would do well in management. It will be nice to see him again tomorrow.
“As for the match itself, I really hope there's no tension between the fans tomorrow. It's not an easy time with the conflict on a global level and we must remember that football is a sport so there should be no clashes or violence.
“It will be a tricky match because it's a derby and we'll be up against very determined opponents. There's only one result in our minds and that's winning. We'll need to be at our very best to come away with the three points.”
